What does John 1:46 mean?

Nazareth was a tiny community. It likely had no more than five hundred people during Jesus' earthly ministry. Nazareth was located north of Jerusalem, southwest of the Sea of Galilee, well beyond Samaria. Being so small, and not adjacent to major cities, it was the last place one would expect anything interesting to happen.

Calling someone a "Nazarene" in that culture would have been like a modern American referring to them as a "bumpkin," or even a "hillbilly." Nathanael's question is more than a little sarcastic. He assumes Nazareth couldn't produce much of worth, let alone the long-awaited Promised One (Daniel 9:25). Philip's response is not to argue, but simply to invite. He knows already that talking about Jesus is nothing like meeting Him in person.

Philip's invitation echoes the one Jesus gave to Andrew and John (John 1:39). Too many people want God to come to them—usually with a miracle or overt message (Matthew 16:4; 1 Corinthians 1:22–23)—but knowing Him is as simple as deciding to draw closer to Him (James 4:8; John 6:37).